Thanksgiving Checklist | Planning Makes Perfect

Thanksgiving coming up soon

Image from Flickr.

People tend to get very stressed out during the holidays. From mid-November to January, the ringleaders of families or groups of friends often appear tightly wound and overworked. If you’re the one saddled with hosting, planning and making Thanksgiving dinner this year, it doesn’t have to be that way.

The key to having a low-stress Thanksgiving is knowing “perfect” is a relative term. Realize in advance that everything will not fit the textbook definition of perfect. If you’ve got food and people at the table, you’re in good shape. Don’t get caught up in the details. Remember that Thanksgiving is remember what we’re grateful for, not being upset about things that don’t go as planned.

There are a few other things you can do this weekend to help things goes smoothly.

Plan your menu

A little planning today will save you a lot of stress next weekend and in the days just before Thanksgiving. As you’re planning out your meal, make sure you take cost into account so you don’t end up needing online cash loans at the last minute to pay for food. This weekend, sit down and plan your menu. If you have others contributing, call them to confirm what they’re bringing.

Find recipes for all the dishes you plan to make. Print them out and make a shopping list so that next weekend you are ready to hit the grocery store. Make sure you check your kitchen for the stuff you already have. Think carefully about kitchenware that you’ll need so if you have to buy a whisk or a turkey pan or a serving dish, you can get all of the food at extras at the same time.

Get your RSVPs

Make sure you know how many people are coming to your dinner, as this is crucial to planning your menu. However, I recommend making extra food for two reasons:

Leftovers are awesome

It will keep you from stressing out in the event of unexpected guests

My family and friends are the type of people who would invite the UPS delivery person in for a slice of turkey. If you make extras, you can open your home to people who happen by and share the warmth of your celebration and your food without feeling added pressure. If you end up with the expected amount of guests or fewer, keep the leftovers, and that’s a few more days when you won’t have to cook.